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Notes from the Head

This Sunday, October 22, St. Michael’s School and St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church will join together to celebrate our Episcopal school. Across the country and beyond, Episcopal schools and churches have been celebrating the educational ministry of Episcopal schools during the month of October. For 59 years, St. Michael’s has been committed to our mission to foster the intellectual, physical, artistic, ethical, and spiritual development of its students. It seeks to do this in a traditional Episcopal setting, nourishing a community of students and faculty from all social, economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Since the Rev. John Fowler first envisioned a school that would teach the children of Tucson to read, to write, to cipher, to sing, and to pray, our school has been true to its mission. Our graduates have gone on to be game-changers, not only academically but also by the examples they set in thought, word, and deed.

I have been associated with Episcopal schools for more than four decades. As a student, a parent, a trustee, and a school Head, Episcopal schools and the people within have shaped my life and that of my children. The buildings have all been different, but consistently the teachers and staff as well as the students have made the difference. Episcopal schools are inclusive, celebrating the diversity that makes our schools special. We learn from each other, young and old, and we care deeply about one another as if we were all true family. Moreover, in essence, that is what we are. Our schools ARE family. We are villages of education in mind, body, and spirit where together we not only learn about academic subjects but how to be good people with sound moral compasses. Episcopal schools have a deep tradition of inclusion and open inquiry. Our schools:

Affirm the spiritual dimension of learning that values both faith and reason.

Create and nurture a community of leaders who foster partnerships, mutual support, and professional growth.

Recognize, appreciate, and support diversity within school communities.

By gathering on a daily basis for worship, for service, for study, for reflection, and for character formation, St. Michael’s, like many Episcopal schools, changes lives. There is a deep commitment throughout our halls, and that commitment is to the people within our classrooms, our offices, our community, and beyond. There is a love that exists at St. Michael’s that often goes beyond words. The intangible qualities can be hard to express. This, however, is what makes us “Soar with Eagles.” This is what sets us apart. It is what makes us proud to say, “We are St. Michael’s.” We are learners, leaders, and friends.